In a brief statement posted on its website, they also confirmed the Verruckt slide, where 10-year-old Caleb Schwab died Sunday in a tragic accident, will remain closed for the rest of the season.
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Schwab was riding the slide with two other women, who officials say were not related to him. They were taken to the hospital for minor facial injuries.
Additionally, the boy may not have met the ride’s minimum height requirement of 54 inches.
The authorities in the U.S. state of Kansas are investigating the death of a 10-year-old boy when he was taking a ride on what is billed as the world’s tallest water slide. Schlitterbahn said in a statement on its website that the park is scheduled to reopen on August 10 but the Verruckt will remain closed.
The Kansas Department of Labor released a statement Tuesday regarding the death Sunday of Caleb Schwab, 10, at Schlitterbahn Water Park. State inspections of those rides can be inconsistent.
“It is a death investigation, “Officer Cameron Morgan told The Star”. The state Labor Department, which oversee such attractions in Kansas, did not return calls for comment.
Grief counselors are being provided at Schlitterbahn Kansas City for employees and guests. An excerpt of a first person account of riding the Verruckt water slide for the first time published by the Associated Press gave an idea of how uniquely terrifying the water slide truly could be.
Two people who have ridden a waterslide on which a young boy died of a neck injury have said shoulder straps snapped or popped off during previous rides.
KWCH reports that Schwab was one of three riders on the raft.
He said he had to grip handles by his legs to hold on and told park staff what happened.
Caleb, one of four sons of Kansas State Rep. Scott Schwab and his wife Michele, was found dead in the pool at the end of the waterslide.
At the time, Kansas City TV station KCTV reported that the park said the ride was “not behaving properly”, after which netting was added around the slide.
In Kansas, many amusement park ride owners do their own daily inspections.
In a news article linked to the news release announcing a 2014 delay, Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeff Henry told USA Today that he and senior designer John Schooley had based their calculations when designing the slide on roller coasters, but that didnt translate well to a waterslide like Verruckt.
Two other women, unrelated to Schwab, were in the raft when the boy died.
Meanwhile, residents of Olathe were mourning the loss of their state representative’s son.
The state, though, has no direct jurisdiction over parks like Schlitterbahn.
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The operator of the waterslide say that the 17-story ride will remain shut down for the remainder of the season.
